In other words, East-Central European politics is transforming itself from simply a reaction against the politics of the preceding regime to a situation in which diverse groups in society will find their interests institutionalized in diverse political parties, not unlike the politics of Western Europe.

Contents: List of Tables and Figures Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations for Post-Communist Political Parties, by Country Introduction 1 An Overview of Party Development (1850-1989) 2 A New Day: Parties in the Post-Communist Period (1990 to the Present) 3 The Party System: A Product of a Country's History and Culture? 4 The Party System: A Reflection of Social Cleavages? 5 The Party System: A Product of the Rules of the Game? 6 Political Party Development in Post-Communist East-Central Europe: In Search of General Patterns Notes Works Cited Index

A trim, lucid, first cut at the evolution of party systems in postcommunist Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia... a very clear, informative and thoughtful comparison. Foreign Affairs A thoughtful overview of the development of party politics and party systems. -- Anna Grzymala-Busse Slavic Review 2003 The great merit of Kostelecky's book is the author's ability to bring together both the established classics such as Lipset and Rokkan, and much of the burgeoning literature on party systems in post-communist Europe (particularly the works written in the languages of the region) under one roof. -- Tim Haughton Europe-Asia Studies 2003 Like many studies of postcommunism in East-Central Europe, the underlying question driving this lucid overview of political parties in the region is whether Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia are becoming more like their Western European neighbors. Choice 2003 One of the great attractions of the book is that it... seeks to move beyond a traditional area studies approach. -- John Ishiyama Comparative European Politics A very good review of general party developments in these four 'Visegrad states' and provides a solid basis for future inquiry into party development. -- John T. Ishiyama Nationalities Papers 2003 Highly recommended. Choice 2003

This is a timely review of almost ten years of study of electoral behavior in East Central Europe, providing, for the first time, an understanding of the general trends in party formation and support since the collapse of communism in the region. It is clearly written and well organized, accessible to scholars and students alike. -- Paul Shoup, Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia